Good luck with your challenge! I've been terrible with updating my budget/spending sheet that I have no idea how close I am to my budget for July. I have a feeling it's not looking to good.
I do not have a line item budget. I have a total budget per month, which is $1000. We stay below this most months, but this month was car insurance month, and that cost $261, so that brought us a lot close to $1000.
I am very good about tracking expenses though. I have a spreadsheet where I enter every expense very diligently.
Sorry OP - I'm usually a big fan of challenges and games, but I think this hit me wrong the second I read "we already spent X on prime day".
So there you are, just another perspective - looking forward to see what unexpected troubles Murphy might throw at you.
I appreciate the perspective! Thank you!
Once the bills are paid, you are good to go: with nothing, if need be, you'll be just fine. You just need gas money to get to work, unless you have other options - enough for gas or transportation until payday:).
You already bring your lunches to work or get them free from work, right?
The car is fueled to the brim, so there will no need to stop at the gas station for the rest of the month! As for lunch, yes, I always pack my lunch. We do not get free lunches at work.
Of course, that's the time you realize you don't have enough filters for the coffeemaker and no money to buy any - so you borrow some from the neighbor or resort to paper towels or whatever you can think of to make do.
Well...I make coffee the old fashioned cowboy way, in a sauce pan, using a mesh filter. It tastes just fine, and there is enough coffee at home to last 3-4 months!
We got plenty of paper towels and toiletries. So I think we are OK there too!
Being poor is no game.
Aye...tell me about it. Legal immigrant from a third world country. Never got a handout from the government, never want it.
Most likely you saved plenty with your prime day purchases - something a poor person cannot take advantage of. In reality, this is a nice (perhaps even huge) benefit to your savings/income for you for this month already - you were able to optimize because you had money to spend.
Yes, I spent about $120. Wife also bought a few things off ebay. We have been waiting for a few months for things to go on a sale.
YOU WON THIS CHALLENGE ALREADY.
Indeed. God has given us so many blessings. This challenge, if you even want to call it that, is an exercise in self discipline more than anything else.
Being poor is 24/7 and riddled with fear and anxiety and a huge amount of ingenuity to "just make rent" so you can breathe and not dream of living under the bridge.
Been there done that! You are absolutely right!
It will mean I can't make any spur of the moment little e-book purchases on my amazon card - but like you:) - I indulged us with a new TV for the kitchen on prime day.
See - we can do this together - we already had our candy for the month:).
I am rooting for you!
